This invention relates to a display device having mounted thereon a self-emission element providing a self-emission type display element such as an EL (electroluminescence) element or an organic EL element and a driving method thereof.
In the self-emission element typically including the EL (electroluminescence) element or the organic EL element, the emission brightness is proportional to the amount of the current flowing in the self-emission element, and the gradation display is made possible by controlling the amount of the current flowing in the self-emission element. A display device can be fabricated by arranging a plurality of these self-emission elements.
After the protracted use, however, the self-emission element is degenerated with time and the emission brightness thereof is reduced. The degree of degeneration depends on the length of emission time. In accordance with the emission state (display pattern) of each pixel, therefore, a sticking pattern is generated.
To obviate the sticking pattern generated by the temporal degeneration of the self-emission element, JP-A-2004-287345 discloses a technique in which the drive current of each pixel column (one column in vertical direction) is measured so that the degree of degeneration is detected from the current amount and the detection result is fed back to the signal voltage.